I LOVE hanging out in coffee shops. Be it Starbucks, Tim Hortons (hello, Midwest), or a mom and pop shop, I could literally hang out in these little corners of town all. day. long. I mean, I’m at Starbucks right now, soooo I’m living my point at this very moment.

I don’t know what it is about hot coffee, the sound of folk music and espresso machines, and quiet chatter that makes these places so appealing. I drink coffee at my house, listen to folk music and not espresso machines, and can enjoy complete silence. So, in all honesty, I’m making my kitchen table sound better and better.

But… there are two things missing in my kitchen that all coffee shops seem to have.

Community

Doers

Now let’s break this up a bit, because I think it is super important!!!

Let’s think about the community atmosphere of coffee shops. As I sit here, I can see an older couple sitting together, a young couple ordering, a mom and son outside, and three older men talking. And let me tell you, the three men next to me have been talking THEOLOGY for 15 minutes!!! Like, yes, yes, yes. In my town, people often go out for coffee after morning mass. So, instead of hanging out in church and talking about the homily or life, that convo transfers over to a coffee chat. I mean, why not??? Sign me up, please.

{ I ended up going over to talk to the old men and thank them for talking so openly about their Catholic faith and it’s like they knew I was writing this post. The one man said something to this effect, “I feel like people talk openly about faith in this place (Starbucks) more than any other, even when its not a place you’d think would be conducive to that kind of conversation.” Literally made my day!! }

In the past, I have been able to follow a similar routine with friends when we would go to a weekday mass together. Fill up your spiritual gas tank, and then your physical tank. Hanging out with a few girlfriends after mass, sipping hot coffee, and solving all the world’s problems might just be the recipe for a perfect morning, if you ask me.

Outside of a traditional coffee shop, I have also had so many wonderful coffee chats at my house this summer. One of my dearest friends, Therese, and I were trying to figure out how we could get together over the summer. The problem is that we work opposite shifts, so it was very hard to see each other. Until we realized that my house is right on her way to work in the morning. My basement became our own personal café and it was amazing!! So, as long as you’re determined, you can create that community at home too!!

Again, I don’t know what it is about these places that encourage deep conversations, but they never fail. So, find your girls, or guy, or mom, or whoever, and get that conversation going.

Okay, now for #2. The Doers.

On the other side of the “people you see at Starbucks” spectrum, there are those sitting behind a laptop. They are the doers, and the dreamers. The planners and the students. As I have traveled a lot this summer, I have utilized the beautiful gift of free Starbucks wifi on just a few occasions as well.

Studying, writing, planning, thinking. Dreaming. Doing.

I love to work in coffee shops. Again, I don’t really know what it is. But besides free wifi, I am often just inspired as I type away at the keys. And I know I’m not crazy in thinking that!!

So, that’s why I have a slight obsession with coffee shops. Because I see the potential for genuine conversations and doing amazing things!! And really good coffee. Just a bonus.